Tent Location Question?

[Robin Hood]

Does anyone who does tent location repairs set up at truck stops? It may seem like an odd question, but I pass a few everyday and with the number of trucks that pass through there daily, their lack of ability to pull into someplace and get repairs coupled with the fact that they are on the road 8-12 hours a day, I just think this might be a good location.

Any thoughts?

[Jeremiahswindshieldrepair]

Truck stops are a good idea however pretty much only the independent drivers will be able to get the repairs done as the larger companies will have a fleet department that takes care of it. It will be almost exclusively cash deals so no insurance.

[Robin Hood]

I agree but those other than local drivers are still on the road most of the time. Other than fueling up, they don't hang out there much. Should have a steady flow of potential customers flowing in and out. Just a thought......

[Robin Hood]

Those drivers that drive for North American van lines and Mayflower and other major companys are not considered independant, but the may own or lease their rig. They never go back to any home base so to speak and are always on the road.

[Almost-New WSR]

You're better off going in and "selling" a free demo. You can get some pretty consistant buisness from their garage and they're ususally "on the way" to another job. Probably have to get em on the phone first since they're usually gated hub's these days. You could realistically get $55-$75 per shield and still be at half price of a replacement. They like saving money. I would imagine a tent at a pretty promenant 'independent' truck stop would be pretty good if you get their attention and it's their cash that is at stake if the thing spreads. If they don't own, they may not care.

[CPR]

Keep in mind the price of fuel is killing most owner operators, many are having a hard time just making their truck payments. I used to do alot of repairs at the Flying J near me until deisel hit about 1.80 a gallon. Go to one near you on one of your slow days and see what happens, signs on your work rig and a cb radio are a must.

[StarQuest]

Tim and Robin,

Although I'm not against tent setups, I wouldn't personally set one up at a truck stop. I tried one a few years back and it didn't yield the income I was hoping for with all the extra work involved. I found that over 50% of the rigs that came through weren't independently owned and required company approval prior to repair. Trying to get these drivers to call headquarters for an approval was just one big headache!

If your looking for truck fleet work, it's best to first obtain a company fleet maintenance managers name, (he makes all the decisions with repairs) just go into their lot and offer a "free demo" along with the rest of your spill. (pretty much with what Almost-New WSR said) Only thing I differ on him with is the pricing issue. In my area the most your going to get from truck fleet accounts is $35 per shield. If your lucky maybe $40. But hey, if you stop by every week have 8-10 of these accounts and find 2-4 hits per location it's not all that bad. Fleet accounts are a very good WSR base to start with.

One important thing to mention, is never be offended or let down if they try blowing you off! It's going to happen! Prepare yourself for these moments and just smile and thank them for their time. You just have to be resilient, show up every couple weeks and keep bugging them for work with that big smile:) By doing this you'll probably land 50% of these accounts when your persistence or friendliness will eventually win them over;)

Tent setup? Try to find a flee market or trade center in your area and you'll do well if you look professional.

[GlassStarz]

I made a trip across the country in february I noticed one of the truck stops along the way was huge had several hundred trucks parked and a truck wash. There was a guy and a girl (Grandfather granddaughter) in a motorhome parked with an awning both the MH and awning were labeled well and they had nice uniform shirts she was the sales person he the tech she walked the line with a sign Windshield Chip Repair $35 approached the trucks she saw chips on and sold them he did the repair while she was selling the next one down the line they claimed to do a consistant $800 a day gave the truck stop $500 a month and $5 a truck repaired they had an araingment with a local buisness to take Credit Cards though thier acct but seldon need it. (I think it was in OK.?) they worked 4 days a week 10 hrs a day she was atractive and personable and a bit of a coitster in her ability to get people to talk to her he claimed his buisness had tripled and he now works 4 days instead of 6 since he hired her as a salesperson

[CPR]

If you are serious about truck stops here is a good tip, call the fleet managers of large companys like JB Hunt, Heartland, Swift ect. Let them know you are always available at whatever location and set a price with them. Then when a driver gets to your location all they have to do is call their dispatcher and you are in.